Electric water heater



R. FROST.

ELECTRIC WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-27, 1920.

1,406,181, Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

manna 101m rnosr, or cnarron, vrcroaia, ausrmza.

mncrmc warns. 11mm.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

Application filed. August 27, 1026.. Serial no. 4oe,4s2.'

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J OHN Fnos'r, a subject of the King of Great Britain, of Clayton, in the State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, electrical engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Water Heaters (for which I filed an application in Australia Aug. 25, 1919,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention appertains to the utilization of electric current'energy for the purpose of heating water and if required converting same to steam for power purposes.

Various electric water heaters have been de-.

vised from time to time in which a. short circuited resistance element inserted in the power circuit is employed as the actual heatmg element, but to date a commercially successful efiicient heater has not been produced. It is the objective of the present invention to provide an electric water heater of the simplest character free from complcxities of construction and possessing a igh degree of thermal efliciency relative to the current absorption.

Briefly stated the invention resides in the employment of metallic water conduit or conduits so associated with an alternating or fluctuating current transformer as to con stitute the secondary circuit of thelatter the metallic conduit being short circuited and the water to be heated is caused to flow therethrough either under pressure or thermos phon. f

T e accompanying drawings depict practical applications of the invention Fig. 1 being a plan, and

Fig. 2 a vertical section on line 11-11 thereof Fig. 3 a horizontal section through they transformer illustrating a modification of construction.

Referring particularly to Figs. -1 and 2 of these drawings it will be seen that the transformer T is located within a casing 1 provided with a water 'acket 2 and a cover 3 and the primary con uctors 4, 5, are protected against destructive heat effect by water circulating conduits 6.

The metallic pipe or water conduit 7 through which the water to be heated passes is turned around the core 8 of the transformer to form a secondary circuit, said pipe bein short circuited by a bridge 9 and connecte with a delivery pipe 10 so that the current induced in the secondary circuit constituted by said conductor 7 heats the water passed by pressure therethrough.

Consequent upon the circulation. of the water through the secondary circuit water conductor the efiiciency is exceedingly high owing to the dlrect conversion of the electrical energy without any intervening medium.

As illustrated, the water is prevented from passing dlrectly to the delivery pipe 10 by a plug or partition 11 placed in the bridge 9. Z If deslred water from the jacket 2 may be delivered at 12 into pipe 7 but as illustrated the pipe 7 leads through the vessel to the source of supply.

Fig. 3 shows means for connectin the water conduit 7 withannular connecte containers 13 made narrow to split the volume ofwater into thin streams, and provide increased heating surfaces.

When the invention is applied to steam generation the conduit 7 is carried into the steam generator and short circuited therein, it being preferable in order to attain maximum effect that at the point of the short circuitin bridge or bridges the conductor is of reduced bore relative to those portions located in proximity to the transformer.

The transformer employed to effect the invention will be of the step-down type in which the current in the primary coils will be of comparatively high potential whilst that in the secondary will be particularly low and reduced to a fraction of one volt with a consequent high factor of amperage.

It is to be clearl understood that the invention is not to e regarded as restricted in 1ts scope to any special practical incor- ,poration of the use of the water conduits with an alternating or fluctuating current transformer, as same may be effected in a variety of ways according to the special re- V conduit communicating with the inlet and rectangular core having a central openin discharge ends of the conductor and. elec a primar winding divided into two coi s 15 trically short circuiting the latter. passing t rough said opening, a liquid con- 2. An electric Water heater, comprising a ductor forming a secondar windin pass rectangular core having a central openin ing through said openin etween t e two a primar winding divided into two 001 s co1ls, a conduit electrical y short circuiting passing t rough said opening, a liquid conthe llquid conductor, said conduit having a 20 ductor forming a secondary vwindin passdischarge and a partition therein between in through said opening between -t e two the inlet end of said conductor and the disco1ls and electrically short circuited, and charge. separate coolin conduits between each coil Dated this thirteenth day of July, 1920.

and liquid con 'uctor.

3. An electric water heater comprising a ROBERT JOHN FROST. 

